Early reviews of Blade Runner 2049 call it a masterpiece

As the sequel to an iconic sci-fi classic, it had a lot to live up to.

But if the early reviews are anything to go by, Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling, 36, and Harrison Ford, 75, might actually surpass the 1982 classic in many ways.

The Independent says of the film: ‘Like The Godfather Part II, it’s a sequel to a very celebrated film which may actually be better than the original.’ Metro go a step further, describing the action film as ‘a masterpiece.’

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‘Masterpiece’: If the early reviews are anything to go by, Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling, 36, and Harrison Ford, 75, might actually surpass the 1982 film in many ways

According to Screen Crush, Warner Brothers did ask critics not to reveal plot details of the new film.

What is known is that the new film takes place thirty years after the events of the original. The story revolves around a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearthing a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos.

K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

Screen Crush described the film as ‘ambitious, gorgeous, daring and flat-out entertaining’.

‘Pleasant surprise’: Jared Leto, 45, was also singled out for his committed performance in the film

Jared Leto, 45, was also singled out for his committed performance.

The actor ‘went blind’ by wearing opaque contact lenses for the entire shoot of Blade Runner 2049, and needed an assistant to bring him on set and help him get around during filming.

‘We all heard stories about Jared, how he transforms into the characters,’ director Denis Villeneuve says in a profile of Leto in the new issue of WSJ magazine. ‘But even this didn’t prepare me for what was to come.’

According to BirthMoviesDeath.com: ‘The work of Leto in the role of messianic entrepreneur Niander Wallace is one of the true pleasant surprises of the movie’.

‘Superb’: Gosling and Ford (pictured here with director Denis Villeneuve) also had their performances lavished with praise

Gosling and Ford’s performances are also receiving lavish praise.

Rolling Stone describes Ford’s return as the bounty hunter from the original: ‘Harrison Ford, at his hard-case best, comes roaring back as Rick Deckard’.

Ryan Gosling, meanwhile, is described as ‘superb’ and ‘soulful’ in his role as the younger blade runner, K.

High praise: The Independent says of the film: ‘Like The Godfather Part II, it’s a sequel to a very celebrated film which may actually be better than the original’

Fresh: The film currently enjoys a 97% ‘Fresh’ rating on the industry’s barometer of critical consensus, Rotten Tomatoes. Here Harrison Ford is pictured with producer Ridley Scott

The film currently enjoys a 97% ‘Fresh’ rating on the industry’s barometer of critical consensus, Rotten Tomatoes.

Only one publication of the dozens who have currently reviewed the film have given it a less than favorable rating.

Forbes described the film as ‘an overlong, underwhelming sequel’ in a rare negative appraisal of the movie.

Blade Runner 2049 will be released by Warner Bros. on October 6

‘Underwhelming’: Only one publication of the dozens who have currently reviewed the film have given it a less than favorable rating